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"Too many Northern Irish churches seem happy to split and divide." That's the message from Rev Graham Connor minister of Bloomfield Presbyterian Church, as he prepares to welcome a major U.S. speaker to the province.
Rev Connor is organising a special one day conference for ministers and church members at Bloomfield Presbyterian on "Revitalising the Local Church," which will be held on Friday 13th August at 10am. Keynote speaker at the conference will be Rev Harry Reeder from Charlotte, North Carolina, who has written extensively on developing models for church growth. Rev Reeder is minister of Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, a congregation which began with only a handful of members and now numbers over a thousand in attendance every Sunday. This is a pattern repeated from his previous ministry in Florida and Tennessee. Commenting on the visit, Rev Connor says:
"Rev Reeder's message is quite a straight forward one - Christian ministers should not be in the business of trying to set up a new church on every street corner. Using Biblical example, it's much more pragmatic to improve the church you're in. There's a plethora of churches and meetings in Belfast alone, but what long term gain is there for the Kingdom of God? People need to be prepared to face problems of decline, nostalgia or tradition in their current situation, not abandon ship for somewhere else!"
The conference will be co-hosted by the Highland Theological College, part of the University of Highland and Islands, Scotland, and the Reformed Theological Seminary USA, who co-ordinate a Doctorate of Ministry course with the Scottish College. Rev Graham Connor, minister of Bloomfield Presbyterian Church, is a current participant on the course and is keen that church members from all denominations come to hear Rev Reeder share his experiences.
Issued by Martin McNeely, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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